A-
New England Patriots
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Patriots and Watts: A-.
by dspencer68 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Eric Watts, the 224th pick, roughly 35 picks past where he belonged. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A-.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it.
Bottom line, they left the weekend a clearly better team, and they earned every bit of it.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 5 they get a mismatch in the passing game. A clean fit for the roster.
No edge and no loss on Ricky Pearsall in No. 68; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A straight-up fair deal on Matt Goncalves at pick 103, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Marshawn Kneeland. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A wide receiver of that caliber at pick No. 139 is the definition of value, full stop. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They barely believed it either: Joe Milton III still on the board at the 182nd overall pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
Eric Watts at the 224th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Blake Watson at Round 7, Pick 12 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.